545 Names - Book "Atlanta Greeks: an early history"

The Book “ATLANTA GREEKS; an early history”, authored by Stephen P. Georgeson, was published in 2015 by The History Press, Charleston, SC.

I was able to obtain a copy through my local library’s Inter-library Loan Program, you can do the same, or purchase a copy from various vendors. If you are a member of Kindle Unlimited, you will be able to read the book for free.

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Below you will find a description of the book, the Table of Contents, and a list of 545 names included in the book.

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DESCRIPTION:

By 1890, the first Greek immigrants to Atlanta had settled into an area still widely populated by Confederate veterans. In a city without the large immigrant presence common in the nation's major urban areas, the Greeks were initially received as undesirable visitors by the state's and city's leaders. While the Greek Orthodox Church of Atlanta endured financial hardship, it continued to aid funerals, hospitals and orphanages. These Greeks moved from the city’s streets as fruit vendors into more established businesses. Christ Gyfteas’s fruit stand at the corner of Broad and Marietta became the California Fruit Company. By 1911, 40 percent of Greeks were proprietors or partners in a variety of businesses like cafes, restaurants, soda fountains and groceries. Author Stephen Georgeson explores the Greek immigrant’s experiences in their first three decades in Atlanta.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Notes on Names and Sources

Introduction

Chapter 1 – The Immigrant Departs

Chapter 2 – The Confederate Legacy

Chapter 3 – The Reception

Chapter 4 – The Atlanta Race Riot

Chapter 5 – Fruit Stand Men

Chapter 6 – Atlanta Shuts Down the Stands

Chapter 7 – Immigrant as Entrepreneur

Chapter 8 – Immigrant Self-Identity and Self-Image

Chapter 9 – The Patrida: Dual Allegiances

Chapter 10 – Faith

Chapter 11 – Establishment of the Church

Chapter 12 – Organization of the Church

Chapter 13 – The Church Grows and a School Opens

Chapter 14 – Westview and Greenwood Cemeteries

Chapter 15 – The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan

Conclusion

Appendices

Appendix 1 – Greek Immigrants Listed in the 1896 Local City of Atlanta Census

Appendix 2 – Greek Immigrants Listed as Residing in Atlanta in the 1900 United States Federal Census

Appendix 12 – Financial Contributors to The Atlanta Greek Orthodox Church as Listed in the Church’s Treasury Book from June 1906 - June 1907

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

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Excerpt from NOTES ON NAMES AND SOURCES section of the book:

“The only consistency regarding the surnames of these first Greek immigrants is inconsistency. The immigrant would typically maintain his Greek surname, written in the Greek language, within the community of his family and compatriots. Some would also adopt on occasion an English transliteration of the name for use in a broader community setting. Others would abandon this effort altogether and simply adopt more typical American-sounding names as their official surnames, in addition to continuing to use their original Greek surnames within their family or church communities. The 1910 federal census lists nineteen Greek immigrants who had adopted “Brown” as a surname. Many would simultaneously use different English versions of their names, depending on the situation. Vasileios Efthimiou, one of the early leaders of the Greek immigrants assumed “E. Basil” as the name by which he presented himself to the broader Atlanta community.”

“Contrary to popular misconception, surnames were not changed by officials upon the immigrant’s entry into the country at Ellis Island or other ports. The surnames of arriving immigrants were recorded by officials just as they had been entered on the manifests prepared by the shipping lines. The image of non-comprehending immigration officials arbitrarily assigning American surnames to arriving immigrants is unfounded. The overwhelming majority of later surname changes were the result of voluntary actions by the immigrants.”